The cryptocurrency space never ceases to evolve. Last year, its market cap soared to an all-time high of $3 trillion, setting a new record bar. In the large part, this is down to the success of DeFi enterprise: as a part of the total decentralized framework now sprawling far beyond finance, it is accountable for taking crypto mass-scale and generating revolutionary ideas previously not experimented with. This includes everything from AI algorithms and Metaverse worlds to the groundbreaking web3 – and ever since those present a high practical value, it can hardly be surprising that DeFi now leads its way into institutional adoption. Among the latest innovation triggers, NFTs have to be particularly stressed – this unique type of cryptographic token performs the function of a value-carrier for any tangible or intangible asset, be it an autocar or an artwork. Well-suited for a variety of practical applications, be it a ticket sale, e-commerce or document authentication, NFTs stir an avid interest of both corporates and venture funds alike.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that the market continues to be replenished with disruptive propositions each new day. Amidst the latest game-changers, The Luxury Asset Club (TLAC) draws special attention – this project was the first in the world to combine elements of blockchain, NFT and the traditional raffle to result in what is now called the Meta-Raffle. As a part of this unique offering, participants have a chance to garner one-of-three in the world Kobe Bryant signed 18K Rose Gold Hublot valued at $3,000,000 each, signed Nike Zoom VIII sneaker as well as 8,024 digital twins and AR wearable designed by The Luxury Asset Club’s in-house team. Furthermore, users will enjoy additional benefits of member-voted luxury asset offerings, merchandise and exclusive airdrop opportunities and invite-only asset reveal parties. By entering a partnership with Make-a-Wish Greater charity in Los Angeles, TLAC will donate a share of proceeds to making children’s dreams come true, while another partnership with SuperWorldApp, the Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality real estate platform, will enable TLAC to secure its presence on the virtual ground of the metaverse.
These partnerships serve as a valuable demonstration of TLAC’s underlying ethical values and the resulting strategic goal: marrying innovation, luxury assets, tokenization with positive community impact. Thereby, The Luxury Asset Club enters the decentralized stage as a revolutionary online community focused on bringing ultra-luxury assets into the world of the web3, spreading the positive impact far beyond the virtual world.
To discuss the project in more detail, I reached out to Diamonté Zarba, Co-Creator of The Luxury Asset Club, who, together with Project Co-Creator, Gregory Gadson, have answered my questions.
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First of all, could you please introduce yourselves? What brought you into The Luxury Asset Club?
Diamonte: Of course! I am Diamonte Zarba, Co-Creator of The Luxury Asset Club. Over a year ago & a little before the NFT craze that we saw 2021 become, Greg and I had the very early idea to “tokenize” one of the rarest physical sports memorabilia items in history. That item was a one-of-three in the world Rose Gold Hublot designed and signed by the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. This eventually led to a strategic collaboration with a publicly-traded cybersecurity company based in Switzerland, being featured in over two hundred and fifty publications around the globe & a week in Times Square at the Nasdaq MarketSite. Unfortunately, a few months later we parted ways with this company and decided it was time to build something of our own. After 8 months, a team of over twenty people from four different continents, we are proud to bring you, TLAC, The LUXURY ASSET CLUB!
Gregory: Hey, my name is Gregory Gadson, I too am a Co-Creator of TLAC. As Diamonte so eloquently stated, that this journey has been quite the ride. Diamonte is actually the one who said to me ”Greg, let’s turn this watch into an NFT!” From that point on the ball started rolling and we began to construct and build this community. We knew we had a rare item, but also one tied to such an iconic figure, Kobe Bryant. Because of this, we knew that this watch would appeal to a wide array of people, watch collectors, Kobe fans, sports memorabilia collectors etc. We then realised that this model could be replicated while offering different items. Our partner and Senior Advisor, German Carmona, was also instrumental in crafting this community. As a collector of luxury assets he recognized the importance of creating a digital method in which illiquid items can be verified, sold and raffled.
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The idea of bridging innovation, luxury assets, and NFT’s is the core mantra of How do you and your team manage to bring this to realisation?
Gregory: Our main goal is to introduce the power of tokenization to the masses. Creating a transparent model in which luxury assets are verified, tokenized, and then raffled was at the core of our main focus. The process was streamlined through trial and error which ensures a frictionless flow from procurement to sale. First, we procure the asset and begin the verification process. TLAC’s trained in-house team, verifies and authenticates all potential offerings ensuring the highest standard of service. Certifying documents, bills of sale and records of transference are all meticulously put on-chain and attached to the asset as well. Through this process we hope to set the standard in offering real life luxury assets while leveraging the security, and transparency embedding within NFT’s.
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NFTs lie at the core of The Luxury Asset Club market proposition. Could you tell us more about their role within the system, as well as how they bring advantages to those who own them?
Gregory: That is a great question, as NFT’s and smart contracts are the underlying lynch pin that allowed us to create the Meta-Raffle model. We created a system that was transparent, fair for all entrants, and accessible to anyone who so chooses. These pillars were cemented through the creation of our smart contract that will randomly choose 3 winners and publicly reveal them through the Blockchain. We also wanted to add as much value to owning the NFT as we could. We understand that utility is the most important facet when it comes to creating long term projects. With that being said, ownership of the NFT allows you to vote on future offerings, charitable partnerships, early access to ticket sales as well as invites to asset release events. We have also onboarded a multitude of partners with various applications in order to further the use and utility of the NFT.
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Now, let’s speak about your ground-breaking idea of the world’s first Meta-Raffle. What are the reasons why everyone should get involved with it?
Diamonte: Because it’s fair. No really! We set a cap of 10 mints per max at .1 eth each to ensure we are providing an equal opportunity to all of our TLAC members. One in 8,024 chance to win a three million dollar item? Sign me up! This is a revolutionary way to give everyday people access to luxury assets that are only reserved for certain people. A huge part of our marketing efforts have been focused on branding the term “Meta-raffle” as we feel that is the perfect description of our project and our niche in the NFT space.
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Please, tell us more about the blue-chip offerings of TLAC – and particularly about the 18K Rose Gold Hublot watch valued at $3,000,000. What made this item so exclusive and sought after?
Diamonte: This watch speaks for itself, but I’ll try my best to describe it. What we have here is the Hublot King Power Black Mamba Tourbillon model. As you mentioned, one of only three in existence made in the rose gold colorway, this package also comes with an engraved Nike Zoom VIII sneaker. This gorgeous timepiece was born after a strategic collaboration in 2013 between Kobe and Hublot Chairman at the time, Jean-Claude Biver. Four collections were released in total throughout the partnership, with this one being the most rare. The best part? We have model number one.
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TLAC deservedly takes pride in the growing partnership network – Make-a-Wish and SuperWorldApp are among the latest. Who are the other partners you take pride in?
Diamonte: We are extremely excited about our partnership with the VR & AR NFT project, SuperWorldApp. This collaboration will see us officially bring one of the rarest luxury assets in the world, into the metaverse. However over the last eight or nine months we have been able to form a very strong team of advisors and strategic partners. One in particular that we are very thankful for and would love to properly shout-out is our senior advisor and project co-creator, German Carmona.
Gregory: We would also like to highlight two other parties: our development team Ixono and RareCircles. Ixiono is credited with the development and deployment of our smart contract as well as the creation of our webpage. RareCircles, was a seamless unification as their businesses is to create an NFT project to grow their community, monetize their work, and build a lasting membership as their vision of bringing NFT’s to the masses aligns directly with ours. We are in the process of leveraging their platform as a central hub for our community to engage, connect and grow. We will continue to update our community on the progress of this integration.
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Engagement of TLAC with philanthropy proves that the latest technologies can be supportive of the less fortunate and make their lives better. How does the fundraising mechanism work to support this charity foundation?
Diamonte: From day one we were adamant about exploring charitable initiatives for our project. After weighing a few different options we decided to partner with & donate proceeds to the Make-A-Wish, Greater LA chapter. Not just Make-A-Wish but this chapter specifically was very near and dear to Kobe’s heart, with him participating in over 200 wishes over his nearly two decade long career. In addition to partnering with Make-A-Wish, TLAC community members will be able to vote on future philanthropic and charitable objectives.
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Please, elaborate more on the role of the community in The Luxury Asset Which perks and benefits does it store for the core members? How can anyone get involved?
Gregory: Community is another important facet in which we focused on when crafting TLAC. We didn’t just want to talk about being a community, we wanted to create and embody what it meant to be a community. Fostering an open environment within our social channels is something we take pride in. On top of that, making sure each entrant who purchases a ticket is involved in every aspect of TLAC. Ownership of the NFT offers you the opportunity to vote on assets, partnerships and events. We are also in the process of creating our token-locked website, this can only be accessed by holders of the NFT. That site is under construction, but we are super excited about the exclusive content and community engagement their platform will foster.
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In which direction does The Luxury Asset Club plan to evolve in the near future? Which initiatives are coming up?
Diamonte: We plan to significantly disrupt the way Luxury Assets are sold. Using the community model and group economics made possible by NFTs, we will (meta)-raffle off everything from jewelry and fine timepieces to cars and luxury homes. Stay tuned! We have so much to announce.
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Finally – what are the main stages of TLAC’s roadmap? What can the community expect from the Public Mint?
Diamonte: Our roadmap consists of five key steps. First, we have our whitelist. 824 mints that will come with our exclusive gold TLAC brick, which doubles as membership into future private offerings. Secondly, and one of our most important steps in our roadmap, The Doxxing. Who is the team that runs The Luxury Asset Club? Whether through twitter spaces, great interviews like this, or hearing us on stage at NFTNYC2022, Greg and I are very easy to find!
Next up on the roadmap, our public mint! By our public mint for the remaining 7,200 mints we are planning for full SuperWorldApp Augmented-Reality integration where members will be able to use, interact and eventually wear the digital twin of the watch.
Gregory: Road map stop #4, the reveal. The smart contract has been engineered to reveal who the winners are 8 days after the last NFT from the public mint has been sold. This allows for the secondary market to have a chance to purchase a ticket, for what the market decides its value is. Each NFT will be an interactive gold brick minted and embossed with TLAC’s exclusive seal. Once revealed the remaining 8,021 mints will transform into the watch, a 3D interactive replica. Last but not least, step 5. Our donation! As we discussed, we have partnered with Mike Kalhoff, President of the LA Chapter of Make-A-Wish children’s foundation to donate a percentage of proceeds.
